1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to alerting devices, and more particularly to a pressure based alerting device for obtaining a user's attention upon the occurrence of an event.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of wireless communication is increasing at an exponential rate, and as such there have been many attempts among service providers and manufacturers of the hardware implemented in the wireless systems to provide options to the users that enable more convenience and enhanced user-friendly and discrete access to the services. Among these attempts have been the implementation of alternate methods for alerting the user of the occurrence of a particular event, and more specifically the occurrence of an incoming communication signal or request. For example, with radio paging devices, the user generally has two options for setting the alert type when an incoming page is received: (i) an audible tone to indicate the presence of an incoming page, or alternatively (ii) a vibration mode to vibrate the device when the incoming page is received. The vibration mode of the radio pager serves the same intended function of obtaining the user's attention when an incoming page is received but does so in a silent, more discrete manner so as to not disturb the user or persons surrounding or proximate the user when the page is received.
Some wireless telephones provide a similar vibration mode for indicating the presence of an incoming telephone call. The vibration mode has been implemented into these devices primarily to provide the user with the option of turning off the audible tones generated by the radio pager or wireless telephone to prevent inconvenient audible disturbances in a variety of different places. Examples of such places are office meetings, libraries, movies, shows and any other location or circumstance that the user deems appropriate to eliminate the audible tones operatively generated by the respective devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,861,686 to Lee discloses a device for generating waking vibrations or sounds. The device is implemented into alarm watches or in communications equipment such as cellular pagers or phones. The device utilizes an electromagnet, a coil and a first and second set of vibration members in a ring case. These elements are connected to a printed circuit board (PCB) of the device (e.g. watch, phone or pager) and together enable the selective generation of vibratory motion when the device receives an incoming call or, in the case of a watch, for implementing an alarm function.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,619,181 to Murray discloses a vibratory alerting device with audible sound generator. The alerting device simultaneously generates a vibration alert and an audible alert to notify the user as to the presence of an incoming call on a portable communication device such as a pager or wireless telephone.
As mentioned previously, the use of an audible alert signal can be undesirable when the user is located in place where such a signal would be considered an intrusion or interruption. In addition, the devices heretofore used to implement a vibratory alert signal in a communication device are generally bulky in nature and have mechanical moving parts which require additional space within the device and thereby increases the size of the device.
Furthermore, all of the existing alerting devices (e.g., audible and vibratory) are contained within the communication device (i.e., phone or pager) and therefore require the user to be carrying the same in order to receive the alerting signal.
Thus, it would be advantageous to provide a more discrete alerting device that is not physically connected or disposed within the user's communication device. This would enable the user to be alerted as to the presence of an incoming communication signal without requiring them to carry the communication device.